Florida native Hosley earns big rep at DB for Virginia Tech

December 02, 2010|By Norm Wood, nwood@dailypress.com | 247-4642

BLACKSBURG – Growing up in Delray Beach, a town on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida six hours south of Tallahassee, it makes sense Jayron Hosley would emulate former Florida State players like Warrick Dunn and Nick Maddox as a kid playing running back in the Pop Warner leagues.

The funny thing is by the time Hosley started to make a name for himself as a cornerback at Atlantic High in Delray Beach, earning a reputation as one of the top 20 cornerback recruits in the nation, FSU didn't give him the time of day. Of course, FSU's loss has ended up being Virginia Tech gain.

Hosley earned first team All- Atlantic Coast Conference honors this season after leading the nation with eight interceptions as a starting cornerback for No. 12 Tech, which plays Saturday in Charlotte, N.C. against No. 20 FSU (9-3) in the ACC championship game. Though FSU didn't fulfill Hosley's childhood dream and offer him a scholarship, he's not holding any grudges.

"It's no hard feelings really," said Hosley, who needs two interceptions to pass Ron Davidson (nine interceptions in 1963) for Tech's single-season record.

"I'm definitely going to go out and play my best ball and play with a chip on my shoulder. That's every game, but this game is a little bit more significant being that I'm an in-state guy from Florida, and this is a Florida team. I've got a little bit to prove, like the Miami game."

Speaking of Miami, the Hurricanes didn't offer him a scholarship either. As a matter of fact, South Florida was the only Bowl Championship Series automatic-qualifying program that jumped on Hosley early and offered him a scholarship. Florida swooped in very late and made an offer, but Tech had already made a sizable impression by that stage.

Hosley didn't take an official visit to Tech (10-2) until the last week in January 2009, which was less than a week prior to National Signing Day, but he knew a little about the Blacksburg campus from former Tech players and Atlantic High alums Brandon Flowers and David Clowney.

Tech didn't make a scholarship offer to Hosley until Dec. '08, but Hokies assistant coaches Charley Wiles and Torrian Gray visited Hosley on a regular basis once they realized Tech had a real shot to get him.

"You're shocked that a guy that caliber (is available)," said Gray, who is Tech's defensive backs coach. "The way recruiting is going now –everybody either has your schools set you're going to visit that late in the process or you're committed a lot of times. With Jayron, if you understand how laid-back he is and how he was just kind of going along, it didn't matter what everybody else was doing…It doesn't surprise me once you know the kid."

After making his biggest impact last season as a punt returner, where he has continued to excel this season with an 80-yard return for a touchdown against Central Michigan, Hosley has really blossomed this season as one of the nation's premier cornerbacks.

He earned several national defensive player of the week awards after his three-interception performance Oct. 2 in Tech's 41-30 win at North Carolina State. It was a game that got Hosley thinking seriously about a goal that would've seemed far-fetched in the preseason – 10 interceptions.

"I never doubted myself, but three picks in one game just kind of made it more realistic," Hosley said. "Every game, I went in the mindset to come out with three picks."

When Tech gets into spring practice, the coaching staff may be faced with a decision. They could Hosley at the field cornerback spot, where he has played this season with mostly zone coverage responsibilities, or move him to the boundary cornerback position, where man coverage responsibilities are the norm and where Tech has traditionally put its best cornerback.

In Hosley's opinion, he can play either position, especially considering he said he was used to playing man coverage in high school. Gray has talked about maybe leaving Hosley at field cornerback in order to keep from messing with a good thing, and because freshman Kyle Fuller has shown an aptitude for the boundary position.

Defensive coordinator Bud Foster also isn't sure where Hosley will wind up. After the season Hosley has had, Foster isn't worrying about it too much.

"He can play either one because I don't have any issues with what his abilities are," Foster said. "I think he's a good tackler for the most part, tough kid, but he just has a great knack of reading the quarterback and overlapping and flying to the ball. (Field cornerback) might be a better spot for him. I don't know. So far, it's been pretty productive for him and for us."